Summary
Reports Monday on a trove of leaked Iranian intelligence documents drove home the depth of its influence in Iraq, where anti-government protesters have accused Tehran of meddling and overreach.
The New York Times and online publication The Intercept reported that the hundreds of documents from Iran's Intelligence and Security Ministry painted a rich picture of Iran's clout in Iraq.
Iraq has had close but complex ties with its large eastern neighbor, whose sway among Iraqi political and military actors grew vastly after the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 .
As Iraq faces its largest and deadliest protests in decades, Soleimani has chaired meetings in Iraq in recent weeks.
Iran and Iraq fought a devastating war from 1980 to 1988 and were ferocious foes under dictator Saddam Hussein.
Many Iraqi dissidents under the Saddam regime sheltered in Iran but returned to political life in Baghdad following the brutal ruler's ouster in 2003 . Iran has therefore enjoyed close ties with the new generation of Iraqi politicians and has helped train military actors including in the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary network.
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